A first for Maldives, Free Basics is aimed to bring more people online and connected to valuable resources and services

Male’ Maldives,

Today, Ooredoo Maldives and Facebook have partnered to connect more people in the Maldives to the internet and its limitless opportunities with the launch of Free Basics in the Maldives. Free Basics, a Facebook-led initiative, is aimed at making internet access available to the two thirds of the world’s population who have never been connected to the internet before.

With today’s launch, Ooredoo and Facebook are partnering to connect more people in the Maldives to a range of free basic services like news, health, travel, local jobs, sports, communication via the Free Basics website and mobile application. Free Basics is available to more than one billion people across Asia, Africa and Latin America.

“As we celebrated 10 years in the Maldives, Ooredoo made a strong commitment to support the development of smart cities in the Maldives, connecting them to new opportunities that can truly enrich people’s lives. With our partnership with Facebook, we are linking our communities to a wealth of fundamental knowledge, and taking another significant step in our goal to empower people with smart sustainable solutions to prevalent issues across the nation” said Mr. Vikram Sinha, CEO of Ooredoo Maldives.

“Affordable access to information is crucial to the well-being of our citizens. And what can be more affordable than being free? Free Basics, I understand will do just that.” said Hon. Umar Naseer, Minister of Home Affairs.

Dr Nasser Marafih, Group CEO, Ooredoo added, “We are passionate about the benefits of connectivity and are therefore delighted to further strengthen our existing partnership with Facebook with the aim of bringing even more people into the digital economy. Following the launch of Internet.org in Indonesia, with Free Basics we now seek to facilitate access to a range of valuable online resources and services also in the Maldives, hoping to achieve the same positive economic and social impact we are observing in other regions.”

Ms. Anna Nygren, Head of Growth Partnerships, APAC at Facebook, said, “The internet is a powerful enabler for social and economic progress, and Free Basics will help connect more people in the Maldives to the internet. By bringing people essential internet services like jobs, health and education, Free Basics gives them the power to improve their lives. We are excited to partner with Ooredoo to help bring more people online.”

Ooredoo customers in the Maldives will be able to receive free access to a number of essential services, by logging onto FreeBasics.com or downloading their mobile application via the Google Play Store.

The full list of free services for Ooredoo customers will be available on ooredoo.mv.